Born in Los Angeles, he entered the film industry in 1976, initially as an actor. He made his film scoring debut in 1980 for the film Forbidden Zone directed by his older brother Richard Elfman. He has since been nominated for four Academy Awards and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. Elfman was honored with the prestigious Richard Kirk award at the 2002 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music.
He is the son of novelist Blossom Elfman and the brother of director Richard Elfman.
Elfman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Blossom Elfman (née Bernstein), a writer and teacher, and Milton Elfman, a community in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles. He spent much of his time in the local movie theatre, adoring the music of such film composers as Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman.
Stating that he hung out with the "band nerds" in high school, he started a ska band. After dropping out of high school, he followed his brother Richard to France, where he performed with Le Grand Magic Circus, an avant-garde musical theater group. Violin in tow, Elfman next journeyed to Africa where he traveled through Ghana, Mali, and Upper Volta, absorbing new musical styles, including the Ghanaian highlife genre which would eventually influence his own music. Elfman contracted malaria during his one-year stay and was often sick. Eventually he returned home to the United States, where he began to take Balinese music lessons at the CalArts. He was never officially a student at the institute, nonetheless, the instructor encouraged him to continue learning. Elfman stated, "He just laughed, and said, 'Sit. Play.' I continued to sit and play for a couple years." At this time, his brother was forming a new musical theater group, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. The group performed the music for Richard's debut feature film, Forbidden Zone. Danny Elfman composed his first score for the film and played the role of Satan. By the time the movie was completed, they had taken the name Oingo Boingo and begun recording and touring as a rock group.
In 1985, Tim Burton and Paul Reubens invited Elfman to write the score for their first feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Elfman was apprehensive at first because of his lack of formal training, but with orchestration assistance from Oingo Boingo guitarist and arranger Steve Bartek, he achieved his goal of emulating the mood of such composers as Nino Rota and Bernard Herrmann. In the booklet for the first volume of Music for a Darkened Theatre, Elfman described the first time he heard his music played by a full orchestra as one of the most thrilling experiences of his life.[citation needed] Elfman immediately developed a rapport with Burton and has gone on to score all but two of Burton's major studio releases: Ed Wood, scored by Howard Shore, which was under production while Elfman and Burton were having a fight, and Sweeney Todd, an adaptation of the 1979 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical. He also, more recently, accompanied Tim Burton in the composition of music for "Almost Alice", the soundtrack for Alice in Wonderland.
Burton has said of his relationship with Elfman: "We don't even have to talk about the music. We don't even have to intellectualize – which is good for both of us, we're both similar that way. We're very lucky to connect" (Breskin, 1997).
In 2021 he released "Big Mess", his first non-soundtrack album since 1984's "So-Lo", which is often considered to rather be an Oingo Boingo album due to the presence of many other band members.
Elfman has three children: Lola, born in 1979; Mali, born in 1984; and Oliver, born in 2005. On November 29, 2003, Elfman married film actress Bridget Fonda. In 1997 he scored A Simple Plan – his only score for one of her films to date (although he did compose a cue for the film Army of Darkness, in which Fonda has a cameo). He is the uncle of actor Bodhi Elfman who is married to actress Jenna Elfman, known most notably in her role as Dharma in the TV series Dharma and Greg.
Kick Me
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
Kick me, I′m a celebrity
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
Losers not invited
Losers not invited
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
Kick me, I′m a celebrity
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
Losers not invited
Losers not invited
Look, now everybody can see
Look, now everybody can see
Love me
Love me
Kick me, I′m an arrogant
Prick me, I'm an arrogant
Kick me, I′m an arrogant
Prick me, I'm an arrogant
I′m a selfish asshole
I'm a selfish asshole
Kick me, I'm a royalty
Kick me, I′m a royalty
Kick me, I′m a royalty
Kick me, I'm a royalty
Poverty disgusts me
Poverty disgusts me
But I′m such a likable guy
But I'm such a likable guy
Love me, love me
I′m a lovely guy
I'm a lovely guy
Kick it
Kick it
So, I know you′re there
I do appreciate you
As I would a chair
So, I can sit on you
And you will see
How much that
You depend on me
I love it when you
Love it when you
Really love it when you
Treat me like a scumbag
Treat me like a scumbag
Fuck me, I'm a billionaire
Fuck me, I'm a billionaire
Fuck me, I′m a billionaire
Fuck me, I′m a billionaire
I love the attention
I love the attention
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
Kick me, I′m a celebrity
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
Kick me, I′m a celebrity
Losers not invited
Losers not invited
I'm such a sensitive guy
I′m such a sensitive guy
Love me, love me
Kick it, kick it
Kick it, kick it
Love me, love me
Love me, love me, love me
Kick it, kick it, kick it kick it
Kick it, kick it, kick it, kick it
Love me, love me, love me
Love me
Love
The song “Kick Me” by Danny Elfman is a sarcastic and critical examination of celebrity culture. The lyrics revolve around the idea that celebrities are treated like royalty, while normal people are ignored or looked down upon. The use of the phrase “kick me” throughout the song implies a sense of submission and vulnerability on the part of the celebrity. The repetition of the phrase “love me” reinforces this idea of a desperate need for attention and affection from fans.
The first verse of the song emphasizes the celebrity’s superiority over “losers,” who are not invited to be a part of the glamorous world of fame. The chorus continually repeats the phrase “kick me, I’m a celebrity,” suggesting that the celebrity is making themselves vulnerable to criticism and humiliation by seeking attention and validation. The second verse takes a more self-deprecating tone, with the celebrity admitting to being an “arrogant,” “selfish,” and “lovely” person, but still insisting that they deserve love and admiration from fans.
The bridge of the song is particularly biting, with Elfman singing, “I do appreciate you / As I would a chair / So, I can sit on you / And you will see / How much that / You depend on me.” This suggests that the celebrity sees their fans or followers as mere objects to be used and exploited for personal gain. The song concludes with the repeated phrases “kick it” and “love me,” a frenzied plea for attention and validation from the public.
Overall, the lyrics to “Kick Me” are a critique of the shallow and self-absorbed nature of celebrity culture. Elfman uses biting sarcasm and repetition to emphasize the desperate need for validation that drives many celebrities to seek the spotlight.
Line by Line Meaning
Kick me, I'm a celebrity
I desire attention from others, even if it is negative attention
Losers not invited
This is a privileged event only for individuals considered important and successful
Look, now everybody can see
I enjoy my fame and thrive in being in the public eye
Love me
Desperate plea for acceptance and admiration from others
Prick me, I'm an arrogant
I am self-centered and egotistical
I'm a selfish asshole
I prioritize my own needs above others, disregarding their feelings
Kick me, I'm a royalty
I view myself as superior to others and expect special treatment due to my status
Poverty disgusts me
I have disdain for those who are less fortunate than me and deem them unworthy
But I'm such a likable guy
Despite my negative traits, I believe people will still like me
I'm a lovely guy
I portray myself as charming and endearing, despite my flaws
Kick it
Encouragement for others to criticise me
So, I know you're there
I acknowledge your presence, but only as a tool to fulfill my desires
I do appreciate you
I value you solely for what you can provide me
And you will see
By fulfilling my needs, you can benefit from being in my presence
How much that you depend on me
By being associated with me, you can gain benefits and therefore rely on me
Really love it when you treat me like a scumbag
I enjoy being degraded and see it as a form of attention
Fuck me, I'm a billionaire
I use my wealth as a way to define my worth and status
I love the attention
I crave attention and will do anything to achieve it
I'm such a sensitive guy
I use my supposed sensitivity as a way to garner sympathy and affection from others
Kick it, kick it
I continue to seek criticism and negative attention
Love me
I continue to crave acceptance and affection from others
Writer(s): Danny Elfman
Contributed by Sadie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cameron Dodge
Every time, I keep thinking "there's no way he can top the traumatically horrific-ness of this", and every time a new video comes out and completely fucks me until the next one arrives. He truly hasn't lost his form.
It's not really horrific or traumatic, but it does have that feeling of being so about it.
Earmonkey Music
Glad to see Danny has not lost his cynical edge. That was definitely a surprising listen. Like the angry rock star in him has been sitting dormant, but building, for 20 years and finally burst out in the middle of a soundtrack.
Matheus Leone
bodybuilding apparently
nellie
I think all of Elfman’s new songs need a couple of listens just for your brain to get used to it. Like, it’s SO GOOD just to hear something that’s different from the average same old sound. Forever looking forward to the 11th of each month thanks to his music~
Amy B.
I agree
Calvin Craig
Yeah, the difference in normal music is, it doesn't repeat the same nonsense lines over and over again
Nuclear Cat Baby
I wonder if this is his take on Trump? Except that Trump would make everyone 🤮 if he took his shirt off with or without the orange skin dye
Lonely One
All of them sound like chaotic noise at first listen but each one has continued to grow on me.
B J
Truth.
jacob maheu
It's crazy how many times this guy transforms himself and still just kills it
The Panos
so the best heavy music I've heard in almost 20 years is courtesy of a 67 year old Danny Elfman. I hope there's a lot more coming.